Traction appliance.



P. TYESLUK. TRACTlON APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED mmzs. I918- Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

1 ,be driven "citizenof the United States, residing slmilar vehicles.

bor and 15 PAMPHIL TESL'UK, OF NEW YORK, N, Y.

TRACTION APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, PAMPHIL TESLUK, a at New Ork, 1n the county of New York and State :ofew York, have invented certain 'new and useful 7 Improvements in Traction Applinoes, ofwhich the following is a specification'. I 1

This invention relates to traction appliarices for the wheels of automobiles and Considering the difliculty which is frequently experienced in driving an automobile over muddy roads and the laexpense involved in pulling a car out of-a rut or ditch after its wheels have sunk to a considerable depth in the mud, the present invention aims to provide a traction device which may be readily applied to the front and rear wheels at each side of the automobile and which will enable the car to over muddy roads without likelihood ofsuch an accident occurring. Briefly the stated, the appliance embodying the pres ent invention somewhat'resembles in its general constructlon the well-known caterpillar drive employed upon traction engines.

1 However, the device of the invention diflers in many respects from the well-known caterillar drive or traction appliance, which diferences especially adapt it for use in connection with the tired wheels of automobiles and-similar vehicles. It is one aim of the present invention, for example, to provide an appliance for the purpose stated which in no way chafe orotherwise intire casings of the wheels, which will be relatively light in weight and very as to readily conform to irregularities ,in the road surface, and which will not in any way interfere with steering of the automobile Another object of the invention is to provide a device for the purpose stated which may be readily applied to and removed from the wheels of an automobile so as to permit of its being brought into use wherever required and without'necessitating itsuse at all times.

he appliance embodying the invention FFIOE.

tween the blocks will not be subjected to any great amount of strain and the appliance as surface, a

a whole will present, to the road substantially unbroken tread. Furthermore, by forming the blocks with mutually overlapp ng end portions, I contemplate preventing the accumulation of mud, stones, or the like between the ends of the blocks as the connections between the blocks. In the accompanying drawings: Figure is a side elevation of the appliance'applied to the front and rear wheels 0 an automobile or the like;

Fig. .2 is a perspective view illustrating two of the tread blocks mutually disconnected;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through, one of the blocks and one end.

portion of another of'the blocks;

Fig. Lisa perspective view'illustrating the two sections of one of the blocks mutua'lly separated. a j

In the drawings the numerals 1 and 2 indicate respectively the front and rear wheels of an automobile or similar vehicle and While the invention is v for application to automobile wheels havin pneumatic or solid rubber tires, it will be understood thatthe invention may also be employed upon metal tired wheels and u 'on the wheels of various other types of vehicles.

automobile, and "as the appliances are independent of one'another, there will be no interference with the proper functioning of the differential drive of the machine. a

The appliance embodying the present invention consists of a number of tread blocks which are linked 'together in an endless series, the device thus formed being disposed in the manner of a belt or chain trained about the wheels 1 and 2. The construction of-these tread blocks is very clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and the blocks being indicated in general by the numeral 3. Each block comprises two sections one of which is indicated by the Patented Dec. 3; 1918. Application filed January 25, 1918. Serial No. 213,745.

designed primarily 4 of the drawings,-

tion to the planes tire series,

80- the sectionft, with a extending on the vertically'with an openin" ear is fitted into 4 5 openings 12 position of numeral 4 and the other by the numeral 5. As a whole, each block in general form, has the shape of a parallelogram, the end faces of the block .bein inclined with relaof tie upper and under faces. The under face of the block, indicated by ,the numeral 6 and comprising, 0 course, the under faces of the sections and 5, constitutes the tread surface of the 10 block, or in other words the surface which engages the road surface in the use of the appliance. As will be presently explained, the blocks are designed to be connected pivotally to one another throughout the enthe blocks being disposed end to end, and each block is formed in the sec-- tions Land 5 above mentioned, in order to provide for relative pivotal movement of these sections in a n y have relative movement, this being dne'topermit of use of the appliance without interfering with the proper steering of the vehicle. In thus pivotally connecting 25 or swiveling the two sections 4 and 5, the section 4 is formed with atransversely extending recess 7, 'the'wall of which is arcuate and the said wall of the recess is formed, adjacent to the tread surface of longitudinally extending ear 8 which, preferably extends substantially. the entire width: of the recessed end of the section 4:, which has flat-ripper and under sides, and which has its outer edge arcof a circle and forming 'a pontinuation of the are described by the wall'oi the recess 7. Centrally and concentric to the wall of the recess 7 and the outer edge ofthe ear 8, the said ear "is formed 9 and the said a recess 10 formed in the matching end of the section 5 of the block, a pivot pin or screw 11 being fitted through the opening 9 and through corresponding formed in the upper and lower walls of the recess 10. From the foregoing it will be evident that in this manner the sections 1 and 5 are swiveled togethenat their meeting ends so that in the applied the device, these sections may have relative angular movement about the pivot pin 11 in a horizontal plane.

In order that the several series may vbe movement in a direction at right ang es to their movement upon their swivel connection above described, each upper and outer corner of the section 5 is formed with a substantially semi-cylindrical seat or recess 13 designed to receive a similarly formed ear or lug 14 at the corresponding upper and outer corner of the section t of ,theassociated or next adjacent'block in the series,

pivot pins 15 being fitted through openings .outerendface of the section V direction at right angles, 20 to the direction in which the adjacent blocks entering between blocks of the pivotally connected together: 55 so as to provide for their relative an ula-r formed in the said ears and the inner end wallgl of the recesses or seats 13.

y observed that the wall of the r cess 7 is substantially perpendicular to theiplanes of the upper and under faces of the block, which planes are parallel. However, outer ends of the sections 4: and 5, while occupying parallel planes are inclined with relation to the planes occupied by the upper and under faces of the sections. The said a is indicated by the numeral 16 and the corresponding face of the section 5 is indicated by the numeral 17.. Thus when the tread blocks have been assembled in the series and any two adjacent blocks are in alinement with each other, the face 16 of the section 4: of one block will rest flat against the face 17 of the section 5 of the next adjacent block in the series and consequently the end of the section 5 of one block may be said to overlap the adjacent or connected end of the section 4 of the next adjacent block. In this manner the pivots 15 are relieved to a considerable extent of strain to which they would be subjected if the connected ends of adjacent blocks had no coacting or abutting faces. It will also be apparent that inasmuch as the end of the connected .end of the next adjacent block and so on throughout the series, there is little if any likelihood of mud or stones the connected ends of the blocks which, however, would be likely to occur if the abutting faces of the blocks occupied planes at right angles to the plane of the tread faces of the blocks.

. In order to adapt the appliance to be readily fitted to the wheels of an automobile and to effectually provide against accidental disengagement of the appliance from the wheels during travel of the machine, the up perfaces of the sections 1 and 5 of each block are formed with alined longitudinally extending concavities 18 conforming in their transverse curvature or shape to the crosssectional shape of the tire or tire casing of the wheel about which the appliance is to pass. It is preferable that lining 19 be provided in the recesses 18, which lining may be of leather, rubber, or any other material, which will frictionally coact with the tire casing or tire so as to obtain the full benefit of the tractive force of the rear or driven wheels of the vehicle.

wheels to which the appliance is to be fitted,

reference to the drawings ig/will be one block will overlap for the front andv the within the recessof each block the recessed appliance is to be fitted.

1,asa, sse a and a lining of friction material arranged tour of the tires of the wheels to which the 15 faces of the blocks meeting end to end 3. A traction appliance for the front and throughout the series. rear wheels of automobiles and similar ve- 2. Atraction appliance for T the front and hicles comprising an endless linked series rear Wheels of automobiles and/similar veof tread blocks, each block having'the gen- 20' holes comprising an endless series of tread eral form of a parallelogram with its ends blocks; means pivotally connecting the adlnclined at angles to its tread face whereby jacent ends of adjacent blocks throughout one end of each block will abut against and the series, each block being formed in secoverlap the connected end of the next adtion-s, a swivel connection between the sec jacent block in the series. 25

tions of each block, and each of the said In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. blocks having its face opposite its tread face v recessed to conform to the transverse con- PAMPHIL TESLUK. [L. s'.] 

